Words Unspoken
by ThePhantomsChristineDaae
Summary: A young cat mutant watches the first man she has ever loved killed by a woman who practically raised her. Now, nearly a year latter, she finds that he is still alive and running the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. But, why hasn't he tried to contact her?
1. Nightmares

**Disclaimer: I dun own no one but Oyre and a few other as of yet unknown mutants. Jessie owns herself…This story kind of follows after the first X-Men movie, but be warned, some things are quite different and I am writting this as if the second movie doesn't exist.I may not own Toad, but he lives IN MY PANTS!**

_Running. Can't stop running. Chest hurts, my head aches, I can't see through my tears. Lightning flashing, the storm raging. Must make it in time, cannot fail. His life is depending on it, I must stop her. No, stop! I love him don't take him from me! I'm too late, he's gone… he's gone. I failed and now he's gone… The pain, it's great. Too great! It's consuming me and I'm falling, why am I falling? I can't hold on… Need him to hold on… Hold on…_

"Oyre, Oyre, you need to wake up." A soft, familiar voice broke through the troubled dreams of the young mutant named Oyre Sheldon. A lightly gloved hand rested firmly on her shoulder, shaking her with a slight timidness yet a knowing of what must be done. Cat like eyes as green as an emerald bay flickered open tiredly and confusedly to lock onto soft, familiar brown eyes full of concern.

"Jessie... I-I'm sorry…. Was I, talking again?" Oyre sat up, her shoulder length red hair maneuvering itself messily around two brown cat ears protruding from the top of her head.

Jessie smiled; a soft assurance. Her hair was a golden brown, cut short and fluffed out in an attractive manner. She was a few years younger then Oyre and much more slender. They had only recently met, but had become close friends.

"Don't worry about it. I just didn't want _her_ to hear you and come see what was wrong." She rolled her eyes, pointing with her thumb to the door leading from Oyre's dorm room to the hallway. "It's her turn to keep watch tonight. I just thought it would be awkward if she heard what you were saying in your sleep." Jessie often saved her from embarrassing moments caused by her tendency to talk in her sleep, on the rare occasion that she did sleep.

Oyre nodded, looking down to the bed, her cat eyes easily picking up every detail, every stitch and fold of her comforter in the almost pitch blackness of her room. She studied the sheets and blankets, the curves and folds, the way it moved when she twitched her tail different ways. She didn't want to think about him, her Mort, and how she, Storm, some one who was supposed to be a friend, had taken him away from her.

"The dreams are getting worse Jess. Before I was able to keep myself from reaching the end, and now they go so far I find myself falling…Just, falling…" She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut in a failed attempt to keep back tears. "I miss him so much… He was everything I had. Everything I wanted or could ever want and just like that he's gone…" Her voice was racked with sorrow that had been held in far too long. She fell into her friend, face buried deep into her shoulder, ears flattened back against her head. She accepted the warm touch, the soft nothings of comfort whispered to her.

It was six months since that horrible night, and every moment, ever breath taking, heart-wrenching moment of it was imprinted upon the heart and mind of the 17 year old Oyre. She was a member of the Brotherhood then, faithfully following Magneto, begging him to send her anywhere her beloved Mortimer Toynbee, her Toad, was sent. She would have done anything for either of them, finding the extra attention and the willingness to listen in Magneto that she couldn't find in Professor Xavier, and the love and devotion in Toad that she had always dreamed of. But what she never dreamed of was that she would lose them both in the same night, and by people she knew and had been raised by.

"I just don't know how I'm going to get through this… I'm never going to be able to look at any of them in the same way again…" She sighed softly, a small purr escaping her throat as she felt gentle fingers scratching behind one of her ears. "And none of them act the same way around me either… They talk to me as if they suspect that any moment I'll turn on them and revert back to my brotherhood ways."

Jessie found this very hard to believe, despite the fact that she had only known this cat-girl for a little less the five months. She knew Oyre as a kind girl that perhaps felt more deeply and cared more about others then she did for herself. She had always been willing to give Jessie a hug when she needed one, no matter how dangerous it might have been. Like Rogue, Jessie had a mutation that made it almost impossible for anyone to touch her. She had electricity running through her body, and when physical contact is made with anything solid, the electricity is involuntarily shot through that object or person, giving the 14 year old the nickname Fire Fly.

"Oyre, don't. You know that every one here cares about you. Storm does too, she just can't control that temper of hers." She shook her head, knowing exactly what to say after so many nights of comforting her friend. The words were well received with a warm smile and a tender 'thank you' shining in the older mutant's emerald eyes.

A soft sigh escaped Oyre's lips as she pulled her knees to her well-developed chest, wrapping her arms tightly around them. Her head was turned towards Jessie Storrs, resting lightly on her knees as she studied her friend.

"You don't have to stay here all night." The feline said after a long period of silence.

Jessie shrugged; a look of indifference across her face. "I'm here as long as you need me."

A smile was shared between them and Jessie reached her hand to Oyre's, giving it an encouraging, comforting squeeze. They sat there like that for nearly an hour, Oyre's hand in Jessie's; taking the support that was offered her. Neither one looked away from the other, though a smile was exchanged every so often. This was true friendship, as true as either girl had ever experienced before. They shared everything with the other: their hopes, their fears, their problems. One could scarcely imagine life with out the other, and so had vowed always to be in contact, no matter what.

Nearing the hour of three, Oyre slipped her hand out of Jessie's, straightening her legs out on her bed. "You should really be heading back to your room now. As much as I enjoy you being here, we could both get in a heap of trouble."

"Alright, you win." Jessie stood up, stretching her arms and legs, urging the blood to hurry and resume the course she had made hard by sitting in such a position for so long. "Just remember that if you need me, you can always just bang on the wall."

Their rooms were adjacent to each other, their beds up against the wall separating them. As a result, whenever one felt the need of the other, whether from boredom, sadness, or just wanting to talk, they could just hit the wall and the other would come see what was wanted.

"Good night Oyre." Jessie gave one last hug to her, allowing Oyre to give her quick, quiet farewell. Quietly, Jessie left her friends room, not even making a sound as the door opened and closed.

Oyre leaned back in her bed, once again surrounded by the comfortable and familiar darkness of her room. She turned towards her window, imagining that if she wished hard enough, her Mortimer would appear, clinging to the glass. She knew it wouldn't happen though. She had already wished for him once and had her wish granted, why would she be granted that again? But nonetheless, she stayed staring out her window for a little more then half an hour before she finally fell into a dreamless sleep.


	2. The Rumor Is Out

"You heard the rumors, what they're saying on the street." A distraught Scott Summers paced back and forth inside the large dinning room meant to hold all of the Institute's residents.

"Scott, please calm yourself. The students will be arriving any moment now for their breakfast." Professor Xavier said a bit harshly as he effortlessly rolled to the head of the long dinning table.

"We can't keep this from them for long. They're bound to hear it around the school or in the mall." The man known as Cyclops sat down heavily in one of the red padded chairs. "I think its better they know now so they can be on guard."

"We don't want them worrying unnecessarily, Scott. What if they really are just rumors?" Jean Grey did her best to try and calm her stressed out boyfriend before he spread his stress to the younger students.

"Would you rather the Brotherhood catches them off guard and they get hurt? Or worse they could be-"

"Scott!" Jean and the Professor snapped at once, not wanting to think of the possibility of losing one of their students in that manner.

"Fine; but let's at least tell some of the older, more reliable students that the brotherhood may have-"

"What about Mort?" The three turned quickly to see Oyre standing, still in her leopard print pajamas, at the open door. "Have you heard anything about Toad?" She searched each face and saw their reluctance to say anything. "Please! You have to tell me…" She pleaded, stepping in to let the door close. She felt as if she would cry, frustrated with them for taking so long to answer her. "Father, please!" She ran to the Professor and practically threw herself at his feet.

"Oyre…" It had been a very long time since the daughter he had adopted had called him father, and it made him realize how truly desperate she was to hear what happened to her love. "There has been talk that the brotherhood has regrouped themselves. With… Toad as their leader. He has recruited a few miscreant mutants into his cause." He took her hand as he saw her eyes light up with hope. "Oyre, these are just rumors and may not hold any truth in them. You must promise me that you will not go looking for him."

"But Professor… I-"

"Promise me, Oyre."

"I…" She looked to Jean, as if asking for some help out of this promise. Seeing none, she shook her head. "I can't. You know I can't!" She jumped up and, employing her ability of cat-like speed, she rushed out the door.

Scott frowned after the head strong seventeen year old girl. While his wish to alert the students would now be granted, his fear of losing her once again to the Brotherhood may very well be realized. She was a strong asset to the X-Men, both because of her combat skills, and for her skills in reconnaissance missions and tracking.

"Professor, maybe we should have some one keep an eye on her." Scott suggested.

"No." Jean said, shaking her head. "Oyre would instantly pick up the scent of anyone following her and besides; any trust she has left in us would be crushed." She placed a soft hand on Scott's arm. "I'll keep a telepathic eye on her, but I think that's the best we can do."

The Professor nodded his agreement, wheeling to a window over looking the exquisite backyard of the Institute. He sighed; placing his elbows on the arm rests of his chair and resting his chin on his hands. "Send Wolverine out to see if any of these rumors are true. Inform him that he can take one of the jets if he finds it necessary." Scott nodded and left the room as Jean joined Professor Xavier at the Window.

"Professor, perhaps we should send Oyre with Logan." Jean suggested, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It would keep her from going off on her own and it would allow us to have Logan keep an eye on her."

"No, I don't think that would be wise. She's a good girl and excellent in the field but she knows nothing about gathering information from people. Her heart would undoubtedly get in the way and cause her to act irrationally." He shook his head, closing his eyes. "No… We must try to keep her here and if possible, away from Toad."

"Professor, is that wise?" Jean asked, looking shocked and taken aback.

"You know how dangerous he is Jean. Not the brightest of boys, but dangerous nonetheless. She could be seriously hurt following him around on ill planed missions and I will not have it." He slammed a fist on the arm of his chair, pausing for a moment afterwards and shaking his head. "If the rumors are true, it would be best if she didn't know."

Jean would have argued, knowing how much Oyre thought herself in love with Toad, but she also knew that once the Professor's mind was made up, there was no way of changing it. She folded her arms over her chest and sighed, watching some students play frisbee on the grounds below.

"I hope you're right, Charles." She said with a sigh as Scout wrapped an arm around her shoulders.


	3. Naive Believings

Oyre exploded through her door and into her room. She stood in the center of it, staring at everything and nothing as she spun in a circle, panting; her teeth clenched and her claws flexing in and out. Suddenly, she ran and leapt onto her bed, burying her face in her pillow and letting out a long, frustrated scream.

"How could they do this?" She sobbed, trying to catch her breath as she propped herself up on her elbows. "How could they let me thing he was dead!" Her body tensed as if she would scream again, but instead she threw herself off the bed and pounced at her dresser, tearing it open and sifting through the clothes.

"This… This is it…" She sank to the floor, clutching a black, strapless dress in her hands. It flowed out around her and she felt as if it were not really there, as if it was some strange metaphor for her sorrow brought to life. She shook her head, slowly bringing the garment to her delicate nose and taking a breath in. _It still smells like him…_

"I can't stay here…" She mumbled as she stood, discarding her leopard print pajamas and clumsily slipping into the black dress. It fit her every curve and carried a dark blue cloth flower on the right hip. She didn't bother finding shoes; the image inducer she carried with her would take care of that anyway. She moved to a beautiful, silver framed, full length mirror and looked at herself. Tears immediately jumped to her eyes as she remembered their one year anniversary; the night her beloved Mortimer had bought her the very dress she now wore. She never questioned the method with which he had obtained it; it never really mattered to her where he got his money.

She turned on her heal, the dress spiraling out around her, and gracefully moved to the closet, taking out two large suitcases, she returned to the disheveled dresser and started stuffing clothes into the first suitcase. Lost in the moment, she did not hear when her door opened and another student walked in.

"Are you nuts!"

Oyre turned around quickly, fearing the arrival of Jean or worse; Storm. She sighed, her shoulders slumping as she saw Jessie standing there with the door closed. "I'm leaving. I have to find Mort. Isn't that obvious?" Oyre's voice was soft and matter of fact.

"How are you planning on finding him by yourself?" Jessie asked as she stepped closer, reaching down to pick up a pair of jeans that had found themselves halfway across the room. She closed the distance to her overzealous, confused friend and sat down on the floor next to her. "He could be anywhere."

Oyre smiled and took the pair of jeans, placing them inside the suitcase. "Don't you see? I won't have to look very hard at all. Mort knew that I would come looking for him once I heard that he was still alive. So of course he's going to stay in the area, keeping to all of the hideouts we used to frequent." She smile at Jessie, giving one of those looks that says 'you should have known that, silly.'

"Oyre, how can you be sure that… Well… What if it _is_ just a rumor?" Jessie reached out to put a hand on Oyre's shoulder, but Oyre slapped it away.

"Don't you _dare_ talk like that. You're supposed to be my friend!" She shouted, shooting to her feet. "You're supposed to be my _best_ friend Jessie. Encourage me, help me, humor me! But please, _please_ don't ever tell me that Mortimer might be… be…" She froze, burying her face in her hands as tears freely streamed down her cheeks.

"God Oyre; I didn't mean to upset you! I just…" She stood up, having to tilt her head back a slight bit to look the older girl in the eyes. "I don't want you to go…"

Oyre lowered her hands, looking at her friend and seeing how truly scared she seemed. Her hair wasn't combed, her eyes were red as if she had been crying, and her lower lip trembled ever so slightly; the normal human eye would never have noticed the trembling. Oyre flung herself at Jessie, encircling her in a tight, comfortable hug.

"Oyre… What?" Jessie asked, stiffening in confusion.

"I'll come back, Jess." She said, pulling away but keeping her hands on Jessie's shoulders. "I will _never_ leave you here for good, do you hear me?" She offered the youngster a warm, fang filled smile. "Once I find Mort, I'll come back and get you, okay? But for now, I need to pack." Oyre turned from Jessie, continuing the tough task of deciding what to bring with her and what she could afford to leave behind.

"Oyre, I…" Jessie started, staring at her with heartbreaking eyes. _She didn't hear me... How do I tell her that I can't leave the Institute? I can't join the Brotherhood... I can't be evil… _Without a word, Jessie walked out and left her friend packing, dread carried in her heart.


	4. Jessie's Mistake

**I would like to take this moment to mention that even though this story is roughly based after the first X-Men movie, the reality is still slightly different. For instance, Rogue and Bobby never had a fling, and Nightcrawler is already with the X-Men (though not for the Liberty Island incident). Thank you for your understanding. **

"Have you heard?" Jubilee asked excitedly as she sat down next to a blonde haired boy on the concrete bench out in the garden, dropping her back pack heavily on the ground.

"Heard what?" Bobby asked, thankfully putting down his binder of physics homework.

"The rumors!" She said in annoyance, punching Bobby on the shoulder. "Every one is talking about it. I heard from Christine who heard from Amara who heard from Jaime who was listening outside of Oyre's door that the Brotherhood has reformed!" She looked ecstatic as she bounced around a bit. "Do you know what that means? That means we'll have something to do again!"

Bobby cocked an eyebrow, a confused look on his face. "I'm not quite sure I followed all of that…"

"That's okay." Jubilee said, waving it away with her hand. "All you need to understand is that the Brotherhood is back with none other than the Toad as their leader." She smiled mischievously. "That means that we might actually get to do something around here."

Bobby shook his head. "Oyre must be crushed. Finding out that the guy she loves is still alive but hasn't tried to contact her…"

"I don't know about that. From what I heard she was pretty happy about it." Jubilation said, cocking her head to one side as if to try and filter out all of the false rumors in her head to find the truth.

"She very confused." Jessie said, stepping before her two peers with her arms crossed. "She's packing her bags right now, intending to leave us. She thinks Toad wants her to go looking for him."

Jubilee snapped her fingers. "Of course! With her super sense of smell, she'll be able to find him like nothin'! Especially since she knows him so well." She stood up quickly, grabbing her back pack off the ground. "I wonder if Rogue knows; or Kurt for that matter!" She started to run off, looking over her shoulder and waving goodbye.

Jessie sat down next to Bobby, dropping her shoulders and sighing. "She's going to get herself lost or kidnapped or… or killed! She thinks that Toad wants her to leave here and find him and that's why he hasn't contacted her yet. She was packing her things, Bobby! Her stuffed animals, her clothes, everything but her uniform are in a suitcase!" She turned to look at him, a frantic fire in her eyes. "I don't want her to leave. I can't bear the thought of her joining up with that horrible group of mutants. She's my best friend."

Bobby stared at her in confusion; he didn't know how to comfort a girl, especially one who had started to cry. He shrugged and shook his head. "Well, we could always tell the Professor…" He paused, seeing the apprehension in her eyes. "Or we could go with her and keep her out of trouble."

"That's a great idea!" Jessie exclaimed, shooting to her feet. "We should get going; she's planning to leave during the danger room exercise so Logan can't catch her." She grabbed Bobby's shirt, careful not to touch his skin, and started dragging him back toward the Institute. "We have to be careful… We could get in serious trouble for this…"

"Think of it this way," Bobby said, regaining his balance after the unexpected tug. "If we do a good job and keep Oyre from getting hurt or returning to the bad guys, the professor might make us full fledged X-Men." He smiled at the thought as he followed Jessie into the Institute.


	5. The Toad Revealed

**_The long awaited next chapter! With that lovable, huggable, oh so kissable amphibious mutant, Toad! I'd also like to take this moment to remind everyone that this is a slightly different dimension so some characters may seem a bit out of… character. o.O Anyway, if you have any suggestions, let me know. I always read my e-mails._**

The rain pounded heavily on the tin roof of an abandoned warehouse sitting alone along the docks of New York City's harbor. Groups of homeless people huddled here and there under hover hangs and around trash can fires as their plight went unnoticed by the occupants of the supposedly abandoned warehouse.

"I'm tired o' just sittin' around here Toad. There's gotta be somethin' for us to do; some people ta aggravate." Jester, a tall, blue eyed boy with short brown hair paced restlessly around the bare inside of the warehouse. "We've done nothin' but petty thievery since I agreed to join your little band of misfits." He waved a Louisville Slugger around in the air absentmindedly as he complained.

"Knock it off." Toad snapped in a sleepy haze, lounging in a beat up and stained beige reclining chair. "I've told you I'm plannin' somethin'…" He trailed off, looking away from Jester and fumbling around with a piece of purple ribbon in his hands.

"What the heck could you be planning for six months?" Jester stood, staring at the Toad with a deep frown on his face. "Breakin' in ta electronics stores an' art supply shops to steal measly amounts of money and odds an' ends I couldn't begin ta tell you what they were." Jester threw up his arms in frustration, knocking into a swinging lamp with his Louisville Slugger. "Would you stop playin' with that sissy ribbon!" He snapped, launching forward to take a grab at the purple ribbon but received a heavy kick in the ribs instead.

"Lay off, ya sod!" Toad sneered as he dealt the kick, settling down in his chair again. "There's somethin' goin' on in my 'ead, Jester. You and the others will be 'appy with it all once it falls inta place." He stuffed the ribbon in his pocket and feigned a yawn, hoping to make Jester leave him alone.

"But I'm so bored!" He whined, walking over and poking at Toad with his bat. "Can't ya just send me on some sort of mission? Make something up! It doesn't hafta be real or mean anything. Just give me something where I can have a lil' excitement!" He took a step back and started swinging around his bat, a twisted smile on his face.

"Your sick, Jester…" Toad said, shaking his head before he smiled weakly. "But if you want somethin' that bad, why don't ya go out and keep an eye open for those X-Geeks. I got a source that says they're out lookin' for me now. If ya find 'em, do what ya want without gettin' killed." He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, sinking down in the chair.

Jester jumped up in the air, whooping with excitement. "I dare those dweebs ta show themselves ta me. I've been dieing ta hear what sound my Slugger makes when it connects with one of those scabbas." He turned on his heal and rushed to the door, sliding it open with a little effort and stepping outside. "See ya!" He said with a crooked smile and a salute, sliding the door back shut.

Toad shook his head, taking out the piece of ribbon again and tugging at it. _I just 'ope I 'aven't signed Oyre's death certificate… _He sighed and closed his eyes, opening them again after a long moment. He screamed, trying to jump out of the chair but tripping, falling over the chair's back and tipping the chair over in the process.

"I told you not to do that!" He yelled, staring with wide eyes at the corpse like girl that stood in front of him. "You're just too freaky to sneak up on people…" He muttered, standing up and righting the chair.

"I am sorry." The girl said, her voice carrying a heavy German accent. "You vere z'inking about her again, veren't you?" She questioned him, her voice calm and her eyes unblinking.

"So what if I was?" He replied calmly, stuffing the ribbon in his pocket and sitting in the poor abused chair once again. "I can think about who ever I want."

"She is not like us." She tilted her head to the side, causing the bangs of her long black hair to reveal her sickly yellow eyes. "She vill cause you pain."

Toad cringed a little bit. True, he wasn't much to look at, but this girl looked way too much like a dead body for him to just brush aside her looks. He closed his eyes and rubbed then with the backs of his hands, shaking his head to dissolve a picture of Oyre that had formed in his mind.

"Look, she's with the X-Men now, where she belongs. I'm never gonna see 'er again, so what's the 'arm in thinkin' on 'er every now and again? As long as we don't go off and do anything to 'einous, the X-Men won't want to bother with us and will never run into 'er." He nodded his head in satisfaction, pleased with his plan to keep Oyre safe.

"It von't last for ever. She vill come looking for you." The girl turned and walked away, her body moving in a very gracefully, gliding motion that seemed impossible. It looked as if she were floating on some unseen cloud across the ground.

Toad shook his head, closing his eyes once more. "Creepy corpse girl…" He muttered, trying his best to fall into a dreamless sleep, though he knew any sleep he got would be filled with dreams of _her_.


	6. Number Five

**_Well, I know this doesn't seem like much right now, but believe me; it will serve its purpose. I decided I needed a bad guy that was completely of my own concoction. For those waiting for updates in other stories, Dark Companionship will be getting another chapter soon, as will The Wildest Heart and hopefully Oyre's Tail. See… They aren't dead… o.O Yet… And this won't turn into a Mary-Sue… Promise!_ **

He paced his small apartment, completely in the dark. He always felt at home in the shadows; light was too revealing and restricting. He smiled crookedly, placing a cheap beer bottle to his lips and taking a long, deep swig. He pulled it away and grimaced. _I have to stop drinking. _He thought before taking another swig.

He would do it soon; he would set his plan into action. The ones who put him down and rejected him; they would all pay with their lives. He started to laugh, softly at first but escalating into a demented, otherworldly sound that left his sides splitting.

Still laughing, he stalked to a bulletin board which was almost the only piece of furniture in his little apartment. Upon it, he stabbed a thumbtack into a photo of a young girl, attaching it into the middle of a myriad of other photos, all seemingly thrown together in a random collage. With a deep, red marker, he circled her photo and wrote the number five on her forehead.

Utterly silent, he sat back in an old, tattered, black reclining chair that sat in front of his bulletin board, his twisted smile gleaming in the dark. "Meow meow, Kitty." He sneered, lifting the beer to his mouth again. With a grimace, he jerked the beer from his mouth, giving it a good long look before flinging it at his bulletin board, the glass shattering and the bubbly liquid dripping down over the face of poor number five.


	7. Leaving On A Jet Plane

**Well, here's a long awaited and VERY long overdo new chapter to me little story. Sorry it took so long, but I have some other things on my plate… o.O But, BUM BUM BUM! I have great things planned for this story! So stick tight and stay loyal!**

The X-Jet rumbled as softly as a giant jet could as the basketball court folded in on itself. Some near by students stared up at it in amazement, murmuring to each other with theories as to who was in it and where they were doing. It circled slightly as it rose up on its jets, facing away from the Institute before shooting off into the distance.

Wolverine sat behind the wheel, the mask and hood of his X-Men uniform not yet over his head. There was a stern expression set on his face as he expertly switched the jet's navigation from manual to automatic. He smiled slightly with the corner of his mouth, standing up and walking to the back of the jet. His nose twitched a bit, easily following a familiar scent to one of the storage compartments. He leaned down, shaking his head a bit and lifting the flap. There inside, was a very scrunched, very worried looking Oyre. "You can come out now, kid. We've left the Institute."

Oyre gave him a very surprised look, her eyes darting around her cramped compartment and then to Logan. "You… Knew I was here but didn't make me leave?" She asked, pausing a moment before struggling to free her self, knocking out a few spare parts in a very noisy, comical manner.

"I thought this was somthin' that you needed to see for yourself." He replied, lending her a hand up before clicking the spare parts back into their compartment. "Didn't think you'd ever rest till ya saw if the rumors were true or not." He started walking back to his seat in order to take control of the jet again, Oyre close on his heels. "I asked the Professor to let ya come along, but he didn't like the idea."

"No, I don't suppose he did…" Oyre muttered, taking the co-pilots seat. "I doubt he'd like it very much if I found Mort alive and started seeing him again." She reached her hand out to absentmindedly poke a button but Logan was there to smack her hand away. She crossed her arms and frowned at him.

"He wants ya happy, Kid, but at the same time he doesn't want to see ya hurt." He made a slight adjustment to their course, stealing a glance at her and smirking at her look. "He ain't afraid of ya seeing him, he's afraid of what Toad might be doin' now that the world thinks he's dead."

"He's not doing anything!" Oyre snapped, obviously taking offence to what had been insinuated. "He's waiting for me to find him. He's afraid that woman will try to fry him again if he shows himself. That's why he hasn't come for me. THAT'S why his hiding." She looked away from him, fighting back tears of frustration and the fear that she may be wrong.

Wolverine shook his head, reaching over and spinning her chair around so that she had no choice but to look at him. "He's been gone six months and no word. Don't'cha think he would of sent something?" He gave her a stern, almost elder brotherly look and when she gave no reply, he let her wheel her seat back around. "I know ya don't wanna hear it, Kid, but he may have moved on with out ya…"

"No." She said quietly. "No… He wouldn't do that. He loves me, Logan." She turned to look at him, a fire burning behind an otherwise calm expression. "I'm not the little girl everyone thinks I am. I've grown up quite a bit while I was away, and just because none of you can see it doesn't mean you can continue going around and trying to run my life. I can make my own decisions and if it should come to that, my own mistakes." Her voice was calm and calculated, not once did she raise her voice or speed her pace. Once finished, she stared out the front window, her tail slashing violently at the air behind her.

Wolverine sighed once she had finished, turning his gaze out the front window as well. "No, Kid… Oyre. I guess you're not." He made a few more adjustments and leaned back in his seat. "We'll be there shortly." They both knew that the rest of their trip would be spent in an uncomfortable silence.


	8. Spider in Distress

**Whoo-Hoo! Capitulo numero ocho! Or… Chapter Number eight… o.O Things are starting to get exciting with the introduction of… Well, I'll just let you read this and find out. Give me some input, let me know if I'm taking an interesting turn with this story or if I need to add a little more spice. Give me your ideas, I'm always glad to hear them. **

It always seemed to rain when the one called Toad chose to go outside. He walked slowly along the docks, unafraid of being spotted since the dock's only inhabitants were drunken bums and drug addicts. Who would believe them? He kicked at an empty beer bottle, musing to himself about the man he used to be. He remembered how he used to joke around and pull pranks just to get the attention. Ever since the Statue of Liberty incident, however… Toad sighed, cursing the weather witch under his breath.

He pulled the hood of his grey sweat shirt further over his head, considering turning back and heading to his abandoned warehouse base when the distinct sounds of a fight broke through his reverie. Cocking his head to one side, he started to follow the sounds, a grin on his face as he recognized his escape from boredom. He turned a corner and ended up in an alley between two abandoned and run down warehouses.

Toad was surprised to see a single girl being attacked by five men easily larger than her. "Ahh!" The girl screamed, just as she kicked one of her assailants in the crouch. Toad crossed his arms, wondering why a girl was wondering around these parts at night and whether or not she would be able to stand up for herself.

"You little…!" One of the assailants cried, jumping on her back and giving the smallest one of the five a chance to punch the girl in the face. Toad cringed at the sight of her blood flying from the impact.

As he watched, a struggle started to play itself out inside of Toad's head. He could walk away, and leave the poor girl to whatever fate befell her, or he could be a nice guy and help her out. He cringed, knowing full well which decision he would make. _I'm not a bloody nice guy… _Just as the girl slipped free, only to be tripped and kicked in the side, Toad jumped high in the air, landing a hard kick to the head of the largest member of the group.

"What the…!" The smallest one proclaimed as he looked around for the assailant in vain, since Toad was now sticking to the side of one of the warehouses, hiding in the shadows.

"It was her!" A chubby Mexican guy growled threw his teeth, grabbing the girl by her strawberry-blond hair and pulling her up. She growled and grabbed his arm, trying in vain to free herself. "Can I finish her boss?"

Toad didn't wait to see who the boss was or hear his response as he dropped from the wall, landing on the Mexican guy's shoulders and eliciting a sickly crunch as his back was efficiently broken. The man screamed and let go of the girl before his last breath left him.

"Get him!" The largest member, the boss, yelled out. They all immediately ignored the girl with the strawberry-blond hair and circled Toad, all five jumping him at the same time. He leapt up, wrapping his long tongue around the leader's neck and whipping him into the wall as he simultaneously kicked a tall, skinny, Asian man in the face, breaking the nose and shattering the bone into the brain, killing the man instantly, but painfully.

Toad reached around to punch a dark haired white man only to go wide eyed with anger. The man had pinned the young girl to the wall, holding her hands over her head with one large hand, her feet dangling inches off the ground, and repeatedly hitting her in the side with a lead pipe.

"Get off 'er!" He yelled, venom dripping from his voice as he leapt forward, ripping the man from the girl and throwing him against the other wall. He ignored her as she fell to the ground and instead he jumped on the man's legs, grinning at the sound of bones cracking as he proceeded to pummel the man's face into an unrecognizable mess.

"Help!" The man gurgled through the blood threatening to choke him. His plea was answered by a pudgy, pale skinned Asian man who wrapped a chain around Toad's neck and attempted to pull him from his comrade.

"I don't think so." Toad grunted as wrapped his arms around the Asian man's neck and whipped him over his back, causing him to land on the bloody mess of the white man. Toad kicked him in the ribs several times before walking away, finding the lead pipe previously used on the poor girl and carrying it purposefully towards them. With a few swift movements, he ended their lives.

Breathing hard, Toad dropped the pipe and used one of the assailant's shirts to wipe the blood off of his hands. He sighed and shook his head. "Bloody gits…" He turned to the girl, now lying on her side curled in a ball. There were bruises covered in blood all over her face and her hair was a matted mess plastered to her head and face by the rain. He grimaced as he knelt down. "Well, poppet, it looks like you're comin' with me."

The girl looked up at Toad with the most amazing, multifaceted blue eyes he had ever seen. There was fright and pain in them as they locked into Toad's own, big brown eyes. "Who are you?" She choked out weakly, a cut on her lip opening up to dribble more blood onto her chin.

Toad scooped her up, for the first time noticing the four spider arms coming out of her sides to wrap around her waist and her black spider abdomen with a red hour glass. "Well, little spider," he said, carefully wiping at the blood on her chin. "You can call me Toad."


	9. What Came To Be of Sheridan Lee

**DISCLAIMER: Woohoo! Another long awaited for chapy! does a little dance This one's very short, but suspenseful and there is already a much longer, kinda cute and descriptive chapter almost finished! Yeah! So, before you all decide to kill me or give up on this story (Please don't! o.O) here is the next chapter!**

"Tragedy struck last night when the mangled body of nineteen year old Sheridan Lee was found on display in Central Park. The teen had been missing for twenty-eight hours when a New York resident walking his dog came across the body. The man and his dog are currently being held for questioning. The NYPD is not releasing any more information at this time.

"In other news-" The sickeningly sweet voice died with a click, the perfectly made up face of the woman reporter fading to a small dot before being replaced with darkness.

An excited chuckle filled the small, dark apartment. "She paid." The owner of the chuckle said. He took a long drink from a soda bottle, frowning as the nonalcoholic beverage failed to satisfy him. _Why did I stop drinking?_ He questioned himself.

He dropped the bottle, ignoring it as it spilled onto the threadbare carpet, and stood. In a jerky, flurry of movement almost unperceivable by the human eye, he stood in front of his bulletin board. In the lower left corner was a blurry snapshot of a girl looking suspiciously like Sheridan Lee, a large red X across her face and the number one on her forehead.

"You're next." He said happily, stroking a very attractive picture of a raven haired girl in a loving manner. "Soon… Together again…" He laughed, clapping his hands in childlike glee. "Number two, me and you that makes two." He chanted, clapping and laughing before collapsing in his old reclining chair, falling asleep in mere moments.


	10. The Itsy, Bitsy, Spider

**DISCLAIMER: I don't know why I call it a disclaimer… I've already disclaimed everything…. suddenly seems to notice the camera is on Uh… o.O Welcome to the newest chapter of Words Unspoken! There's not a lot of action going on in this chapy, but you get to learn a little more about our new spidery mutant. Hope you enjoy!**

Norwena watched the sleeping girl from a metal bar stool near the door. Toad had asked her to clean up, bandage, and keep an eye on the little spider while he went out to try and track down Jester.

Necromancer was very pleased with the girl's arrival. With any luck, Toad would soon forget all about the outsider Oyre and turn all his attentions to the battered girl in the bed. _She would not cause us trouble as the oz'er girl vill. _She thought to herself as she stood, gliding like a ghost to stand over the spider, peering down at her.

The girl was very curvaceous, with hips any belly dancer would kill for. Her face was heart shaped and, through the bruises, Norwena could tell that she had the sort of round cheeks that any obnoxious aunt or grandmother would just love to pinch. When she slept, deep lines of an even deeper, inner pain showed on her face. Norwena felt instantly connected to this young spider and wished the world for her.

She was nothing like the thin, wiry Oyre who Norwena saw as a child more than a young woman. The Oyre who, with a bat of an eye, could acquire anything from anyone and wasn't even aware of the power of innocence she possessed. Oyre, who had been coddled and loved, pampered and adored all of her life. Norwena frowned, feeling a deep hatred for the cat mutant who had never felt a day of pain in all her short years.

The hatred left Norwena's eyes as they locked onto the spider's face as she stirred, whimpering slightly. No emotion showed on Norwena's face as she took a step back, not wishing to frighten the girl when she woke. After a moment of weak tossing and turning, the spider opened her eyes.

"Where am I?" she asked clearly, her voice scratchy from her dry throat. Her eyes scanned the room and fell on Norwena, a defensive but unafraid glint entering their center. "Who are you?"

Norwena tilted her head down slightly, allowing her dark hair to partially cover her face. "I am Norvena, also called Necromancer; I vas z'e one who cleaned your wounds and bandaged them." She spoke slowly and quietly, allowing the girl to remember.

"The alley…" She muttered to herself, her eyes moving back and forth, not seeing the room around her, but the events that took place only a few hours ago. "The man-" she tried to speak, but the excruciating pain in her side and head as she tried to sit up cut her words short.

Norwena was instantly beside her, wrinkled, gray hands that looked like they belonged to a corpse gently pushing her back down. "Toad vill be back shortly." She said reassuringly, assuming he was who the girl was referring to. "Two of your ribs are bruised and one is fractured. You need to rest." In a swift movement, she was once again by her stool; she did not sit. "Vhat is your name?"

"Marlena. I'm called Widow, though." She had come up with the nickname years ago after hearing a group of mutant friends calling each other by nicknames that suited their powers and mutations. Something about having one of her own made her feel less alone in the world: if she had a nickname, surely she had someone to call her by it.

She took a deep breath, like she had many times before, to check the state of her ribs and gasped instantly, biting her cheek against the pain, tasting blood. "You're German." She said after a moment through gritted teeth, as much to take her mind off of the pain as to start a conversation.

"Ja." Norwena replied, lifting her head up and staring at Marlena curiously. "Vhy?"

Marlena shook her head and closed her eyes against the instant pain and dizziness caused by the small action. "No reason. I'm German too, though I wasn't born there like I guess you were." She opened her eyes after a moment and turned her head slowly to look at Norwena. "How bad am I?"

The unaccounted for bond that Norwena felt to Marlena strengthened with the knowledge that they shared a culture. "Everyz'ing is superficial but your ribs." She moved slowly back to Marlena, surprised with the feeling she got that Marlena was not afraid or even repulsed by her appearance. "Z'e vill be painful for quite some time." She gently touched Marlena's forehead with the back of her hand. "Z'ere is no fever, which means no infection. Z'at is good."

Marlena sighed at the gentle gesture and the coolness of Norwena's hand. No one had ever treated her with such kindness or touched her without intentions of harming her. For the first time in her life, Marlena felt like there was some one who actually cared.

"How many are here?" She asked after a moment.

"Three oz'er z'an myself. Toad is our leader." As she spoke she poured water from a battered, metal pitcher into an even more battered tin cup and sat on the side of the bed carefully. "Let me help you." She said, slipping an arm around Marlena's shoulders and easing her into a sitting position.

"Danke." Marlena said with a smile. She had learned to word from an old Marlene Dietrich film that was being shown in its original format of German at a late night film festival she had snuck into. She couldn't read the subtitles or understand the German, but by the end of the movie she had gathered that 'danke' meant 'thank you.' She drank the cold water, trying hard not to choke on the pain, and didn't notice the corners of Norwena's mouth twitch up in a small smirk.

"You are most velcome." She replied, easing Marlena back to the pillow once she was done with the water. "Are you hungry?"

"Not really." She lied. In all actuality, she was starving but it had been painful enough trying to drink the water. "Where are we?" She asked after a moment to let the pain die down a bit.

Norwena sat on her stool once again, her eyes never leaving Marlena. "Ve are in an old warehouse on z'e docks of New York harbor." She continued to stare at Marlena with dead eyes that were a sickly yellow in color. "Z'is is my room."

Marlena looked around at the small, unadorned room. There was a single light hanging naked from the ceiling, the metal framed bed she now lay in, and the stool that Necromancer occupied. "Cozy." Marlena said, a bit sarcastically.

"I find no need for personal possessions." She said, explaining the simplicity of the room. "Vhen you die, you lose them all and it vas all for naught."

Marlena raised an eyebrow and half smiled. "You are so deep." She said mockingly, employing a Californian accent to the extreme.

A small grin played across Norwena's lips but was gone in an instant when Marlena started coughing painfully. She was up from the stool in an instant, a cloth in front of Marlena's mouth and an arm around her shoulders. When she pulled the cloth away, it was lightly spotted with blood.

"There is blood in your lungs." Norwena explained gently. "Probably inhaled during z'e fight. Not a lot; noz'ing deadly. There is no damage directly to your lungs that I can tell; but I am not a doctor. You may cough like this several more times before it is all out."

Marlena watched her with a bewildered look in her eyes as the other mutant began soaking a clean rag in a metal bowl of warm water. "Why are you doing this?" When Norwena didn't answer, she licked her lips and continued. "No one has ever cared if I lived or died before. Not even another mutant."

Norwena brought the warm rag over and started gently wiping Marlena's forehead. "You are one of us. Despite what you may have experienced with other mutants, we do not turn our own avay." She looked as if she were going to say something more when a loud clang caught both their attentions. "He is back." Norwena said in reply to Marlena's frightened look.

Marlena was in the middle of another coughing fit with Norwena patiently holding her when Toad came in the door. He took a seat on Norwena's now empty stool, one foot resting on a metal rung, the other on the floor. He waited for Marlena to finish, a slight flash of worry in his eyes.

"Not dieing on us yet, are you poppet?" He asked with a grin. For a moment, he worried that she actually was when it took her entirely too long to catch her breath.

"She vill live." Norwena said shortly in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, allowing Marlena to fully catch her breath.

"Good. I s'pose a proper introduction is called for." He bowed comically at the waist, staying seated on the stool. "The name's Mortimer Toynbee though most people just call me Toad."

"Marlena… I think my last name's Beck… Can't be certain though…" She coughed once and licked her lips, closing her eyes and placing a hand lightly on her head wound. "People call me Widow. Got any aspirin?"

Norwena silently moved from Marlena's side, making a note to ask about her last name later, and out the door. Toad watched her before turning his eyes back to the injured girl in the bed. Pictures of those startling blue eyes kept running through his mind and he wanted to see what they looked like void of fear or pain. He shook his head, reminding himself that the only eyes he cared about were emerald green.

"So, Little Spider, just what were you doing by yourself in that alley, taking on all those men?"

Marlena opened her eyes lowly, turning her head to look at him, her hand still on her head. She stared at him, eyes clouding over to a grey-blue for a moment. Anyone observant in the least would have deduced that she was trying to come up with a smart ass remark; Toad had no clue.

"I was looking for a nice piece of real estate." She said in a conversational tone. "You know; something with a white picket fence so I could get a dog." She nodded her head but regretted the action, wincing and once again closing her eyes.

"We don't 'ave any with fences, but we do 'ave plenty of room." Toad replied, oblivious to her sarcasm. "You could even call Jester your dog if you'd like." He grinned a bit at the thought.

Marlena's eyes snapped open and focused on him, a new terror in their depths. "No!" She snapped, startling Toad with her harshness. "No." She repeated, a little more gently. "I don't get on well with people."

"Not a problem Spide-deary." He said cheerily, hopping off the stool and a few steps closer to her. Marlena half expected him to start singing 'Chim-Chimney' from Mary Poppins. "This place is big enough that you could go for weeks with out seein' any of our sorry faces." He looked very pleased with himself for coming up with such an answer.

Marlena turned her head away from him and sighed, squeezing her eyes shut against all of the pain; both physical and emotional. "I can't really argue with you right now, can I? I'm such a mess I couldn't leave if my life depended on it." She shuddered a bit, fighting back tears.

Toad noticed that she sounded sad, even afraid, but he couldn't for the life of him understand why. He had saved her life and given her a warm, if shabby, place to stay. He would have questioned her, but Norwena came in with a bottle of aspirin.

"Is that the aspirin?" Marlena asked with out opening her eyes, her voice a little shaky. Toad couldn't figure out if her voice shook because she was in pain or trying not to cry. This troubled him. "I feel like I've been hit by a whole caravan of Mack trucks."

Toad sat back on the stool as Norwena moved forward to pour a glass of water. There was a puzzled look on his face that he did not try to hide from Norwena. _Why's she so terrified? I'm not that bad lookin'… At least, Oyre didn't think so._ He almost bit his tongue to keep from remembering her. Norwena was right and he knew it; Oyre would be trouble. But how to you just suddenly stop loving some one?

Marlena's cough broke him out of his reverie. He shook his head and watched Norwena wipe some blood from the corner of the Widow's mouth. It was during this fit that Toad realized just how irrationally worried for her he was.

"'Ow old are you, Poppet?"

"None of your business." She snapped defensively before lapsing into another coughing fit. Norwena was instantly by her side.

"Perhaps you should go." Norwena said gently, not looking at Toad. "She should rest more; sleep vill get her through z'is faster."

Toad frowned and stood. "I know when I'm not wanted." He said with bitterness, leaving the small room and closing the door far more gently than some one upset has any right to.

Marlena opened her eyes and stared at the door as Norwena started putting the dirty, unusable rags in a bag. "You should close your eyes and sleep." Norwena said with out looking at Marlena, who was surprised she had noticed.

Marlena obeyed, getting as comfortable as her condition allowed. She was silent a few minutes and was almost asleep before she spoke next. "Tell him… Mort… Tell him I'm twenty." She yawned deeply and grimaced at the pain, deciding to take slow, careful breaths until she finally fell asleep.

Norwena took up her place on the stool again, watching the girl in the bed. Things had gone well, she thought. With any luck, Toad will soon forget about that cat mutant and her and her new spider friend would finally have a permanent place to belong. She smiled softly at the idea, looking human for the first time in a long while.


End file.
